Championship Review – Matchday 35

Leeds United showed once again why they are odds-on to go up after thumping fellow promotion hopefuls West Bromwich Albion by four goals to nil at Elland Road on Friday evening.

A Patrick Bamford brace came inbetween Pablo Hernandez’s first minute opener and a last-minute effort from Egzijan Alioski in a flawless performance and the result briefly saw them leapfrog Norwich City in to top spot.

However, the Canaries reclaimed their place at the summit after they won 3-1 at Millwall, who looked for a point until goals in the final quarter of the game from Christoph Zimmerman and Teemu Pukki secured a fifth win in six Championship games for Daniel Farke’s side.

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Sheffield United remain in third place after they picked up a point against rivals Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, in possibly the most uneventful meeting between the two of all time while Middlesbrough stay fifth after they too were involved in a goalless game – Wigan Athletic benefitting from a point against the North East outfit.

After back-to-back defeats well and truly ended Bristol City’s winning start to 2019, the Robins picked up a point at Preston North End, who’s unbeaten run now stretches to nine games.

Derby County sit in seventh place, after they bounced back from defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday with a come-from-behind win at Wigan on Tuesday evening.

Level

Hull City are up to tenth, level on points with eighth place Birmingham City after they beat the Blues 2-0 at the KCOM Stadium, while in between those two sides are Nottingham Forest, who lost at Stoke City by two goals to nil.

Villa are eleventh after that win over the Rams, in which all four of the goals came in the first half – Jack Grealish’s thunderous volley the pick of the bunch.

After consecutive defeats at Leeds and Wednesday, Swansea City returned to winning ways to the tune of a 2-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers, while Brentford went one better, putting three past Queens Park Rangers – their eighth defeat in nine.

Vital

Rotherham United remain in the bottom three but did their survival hopes the world of good after they beat Blackburn Rovers by three goals to two at the New York Stadium, though the same cannot be said for bottom-of-the-table Ipswich Town who were beaten 2-1 at home to Reading.

The result sees the Tractor Boys twelve points behind the twenty-first placed Royals, with a goal difference more than twice as bad with just eleven games to play.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Deke Hardman

Freelance football writer with a love of the game that goes back to the mid nineties when both his beloved Nottingham Forest and England had genuine hope of acheiving some level of success. A regular contributor to both SoccerNews.com and FreeBetting.com, Deke also dabbles in music journalism with his heart and head still stuck in the latter years of the twentieth century.

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